bikeNrun

I'm new to the road biking world and stoaked to start training for a new sport.

I've never really biked much, other than some mountain biking when I had running injuries. I just never felt much of a rush on the mountain bike before. But after test riding some road bikes, I was hooked! Last week, I bought a 2004 Giant OCR3 and so far it's been great fun.

I come from a running background and competing in cross country and track througout highschool and university. I've been putting in about 55-70 mpw since graduation to keep in shape and to jump into the occasional race. I was wondering whether training for road biking is similar to training for distance running (i.e. put in good base of mileage, do some shorter speed work, and long rides on the weekend)? I hope to train over the fall/winter and enter some recreational bike races next spring.

Anyway, great to be a part of the forum.

jdtschida

I've done all my bike training like how I used to train for cross country. It's all been solo training though, and it's hard to get really fast when not riding with other people. You also will want experience in group riding if you plan to race at all. Otherwise you'll be too scared to stay in the pack, and just get dropped...

I don't know what type of "recreational bike races" you plan to do, but you might also look at doing triathlons since you have a pretty good running background.

XC99TF00

I actually, am much the same, although I started doing the tri's during university (still enrolled and running for my team). I got hooked on the road biking last summer, and figured I could try some duathlons, which are run-bike-run, only to find nothing but tri's. So I struggle through the swim and then go on to pick up places in the bike and run. I would say my training has been similar to the way in which I ran back in HS: 65-75 mpw. You have your long easy rides, and then I'll be in group rides where someone sprints out at random, so it is almost like a fartlek in that sense. Anyway, good luck with your bike races, I think with your decent cardio you will be able to transfer over to the biking relatively well.

chrisenter

Your situation sounds eerily similar to mine. I too am a runner who finally bought a bike about 8 weeks ago (a '05 Giant OCR3) after a barrage of injuries.

It's good that you're checking into the training stuff because I haven't done as much reading on that as I should. All I can say is that it's easy to get sucked in to thinking that you can ride and ride and ride, because it doesn't make you feel nearly as worn out as 50-70 mpw running does. Then, after about a month of a lot of riding, you might find (like I did) that you were probably riding too much.

So, while I can't give you hard numbers, I would say that the general hard/easy/long days do apply.....and I'd say to be careful not to overdo it in the beginning.

skinnyone

With your running mileage I would expect your cardio to be up there.. biking uses slightly different muscles so might want to start off with base miles to strengthen the tendons/ligaments and muscles associated with biking...
I ran for a bit but once I hit 60-70 MPW, overuse injuries(due to overpronation) started creepin up and i eventually quit last year to start biking... I found the switch easy and I think you would be in good shape if you put some base miles and then started with intervals(similar to fart-lek) once you feel comfortable..
Best of luck...

bikeNrun

Thanks for the comments.

I also have a question about cadence. I find that I'm relying mostly on the biggest front gear whenever I'm riding on flat terrain. If I go any lower, my cadence feels too fast. I feels comfortable on the biggest gears, but is that normal for flats (the bike store guy said the big gear is mainly for descents)?

Also, what kind of bike mileage do mid-tier racers do? For example, what would be the 'biking equivalent' to running 55-70 mpw?

snowmx14

i am in the same boat as you i run cross country and used mountain biking for a lot just as a cool down from running. Now i find myself living in mountianless delaware and i am hoping to get a good fairly priced road bike soon now that i sold 2 high end mountian bikes. When i do ride on the road i also use the highest front gear, so your not alone. I do know that this is hard on drivetrain components if you ride the highest front and a low back gear...How much did you pay for your 04 ocr3, a lot of people told me i should buy one as a first road bike..

bikeNrun

I paid $799 Canadian.

7rider

A bike is great cross-training for running because of the relief on your joints. If you do a lot of high cadence, long climbs on your bike, I find it really helps your ability to run uphills. The muscles are definitely a bit different going from running to cycling, so it will take some time to adapt, but you do have the benefit of a solid cardiovascular base.

Voodoo76

bikeNrun,

I made a similar transition (a long time ago) to cycling. Is your interest strictly recreational or are you considering racing?

bikeNrun

I'm definitely considering racing, but I don't know how to train for it. I've been competing in running for quite some time but I lost some of my desire to train for it anymore. My running strategy was simple: gather up a huge base (up to 90mpw), do some speed work to tune up and race. I gained most of my speed from mileage. I'm not sure if biking works the same, but it seems like the same deal.

bikeNrun

Another question: The weather in Edmonton changes fairly early (i.e. snow is quickly approaching). What would be a good (and afforable) set up for riding my bike indoors? The bike store guy showed me some options, but I'd like to get other opinions.

timwat

To specifically respond to your cadence comment - I'm told developing a smooth, high cadence spin you can sustain in lower gears (90-110 rpm - a cyclocomputer is useful here) trains you to spin smoothly in higher gears, as developing a smooth high RPM spin forces you to use muscles you don't ordinarily use when pedaling slower, or pedaling squares.

I think this is the idea behind Power Cranks, as well as one-legged pedaling - forcing each leg to develop a complete spin on bottom and upstroke.

The science in magazine articles says fast spin nets longer endurance and less fatigue, one factor in Lance's dominance, etc.

Voodoo76

My background is similar in that I ran both Track and XC in College, then worked my way up to Cat 2 on a bike (making a lot of mistakes along the way). Apologise in advance for the length of this post.

Some General Differences:

1. Bike Racing is more "interval" sport than running. Speed, Acceleration (anarobic efforts) and Recovery play a much bigger role. It's not just about Aerobic Capacity and your training needs to reflect this fact.
2. Since you are not carrying body weight, your training volume (and your competitors) can be much greater than it was running. On a positive note recovery from long efforts is also quicker. This will require a bit of an adjustment in thinking on how much is enough, and makes it much easier to flirt with overtraining.
3. Bike Handling Skill. Cornering, drafting, ect are an added component that is not present in running. You can gain a great advantage here over your competition.
4. Strategy is a much greater component. In running accelerations and positioning have some impact, in cycling they are greatly amplified. Everything revolves around the draft, who you are with and where/when you expend effort. This takes experience and is the most enjoyable part of the change from Running IMO.

Some General Ideas :

1. You need to "Periodize" or "Cycle" training to a much greater degree than running since you are training to be both a marathon runner and a 400M sprinter. This will also help avoid overtraining.
2. Dont fall into the trap of doing the same things week after week.
3. Your training cycle needs to include periods of Low Volume and High Intensity. Not just when peaking but through the whole season.
4. Train either long/slow or short/very hard, avoid the inbetween stuff you will get einough of that when racing.
5. Work on Technique. For this to be effective you need a Coach and/or good club to ride with. It amazes me how many Racers cant get around a turn.
6. Race as much as possible. Big ones, Small ones, Club races, weekends, mid-week, whatever. When possible race instead of a hard training ride. Exposure to racing will accelerate your learning curve faster than even this board
7. If possible do some Track riding. This will accelerate your learning curve 2:1 over time on the road. There are a lot of good mid week traing/racing programs out there if you live close to a velodrome.